Throughout the home, a need exists to store a large variety of different items. This naturally results from the vast array of things that have been developed to increase the comfort level of living. The amassing of the various objects used in day-to-day endeavors, however, gives rise to a need for adequate storage of those items when not in use yet which storage facilities nonetheless provide quick and convenient access to items when their use is desired.
Perhaps one of the more challenging areas in the human home that requires storage of a vast array of items is the kitchen. In the kitchen environment, food is mixed, heated, stored, etc., in and by a wide variety of different utensils. For dining, the kitchen is often the area where plates, cups, glasses, silverware and the like are stored, used and cleaned. Thus, the collection of such objects requires substantial storage facilities such as drawers, cupboards and countertops.
Since many persons enjoy the consumption of flavorable food entrees and side dishes, the food preparer often employs a wide variety of herbs, seasonings and spices. Since food preparation takes place in the kitchen area, it is typical to store these condiments nearby for convenience of use. Often, the individual containers for spices, seasonings and the like are in the form of small bottles or cans. It is not unusual for the food preparer to have a large number of such spices, and seasonings; the storage of the containers for the same presents a problem of organization. On one hand, due to the large number of the containers, substantial storage space is required. Due to the size of the containers, moreover, it is easy for the storage space to get disorganized, especially where the food preparer must search through a plurality of containers to find the desired spices or seasonings.
For this reason, various "spice racks" have been developed to receive individual containers in a more organized format. These spice racks are typically in the form of a shelf having shelves and retainers of a size designed to meet the small size of containers in which the seasonings are stored. Free standing spice racks, however, usually require their own independent mounting on a vertical wall surface. Many kitchens, due to their size, do not provide sufficient wall space to accommodate these spice racks. Where smaller spice racks are mounted on cupboard doors, for example, they typically do not provide sufficient storage space for a wide variety of containers.
The need to provide space saving storage for spice containers has been recognized in the past. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,272 issued Sep. 14, 1993 to Thompson, an under cabinet spice jar drawer is shown which includes an installation plate that is adapted to secure the underside of a cabinet. A pair of facing guide rails or channels receive oppositely projecting flanges on the sides of a drawer. The drawer has transverse, semi-circular channels sized to receive spice containers. When the drawer is removed from a stored position to an extended position, it may tilt downwardly to make the spice containers more accessible.
Notwithstanding the benefits of the drawer shown in the '272 Patent, however, there remains a need for improved storage units especially adapted for the containers of the spices and other seasonings. There is a need for such storage units that have increased storage capacity. Thus, there is a need for a sturdy storage unit construction which mounts easily to a support surface which unit provides ready and organized access to an ensemble of spice and/or seasoning containers.